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Financial News presents a round-up of the week's top hires and job switches in the financial services industry.

• Moves of the week

Societe Generale

Societe Generale has made two senior hires to its Hong Kong trading team as the bank continues to build out its global cash equities platform.

Marcus Consolini, most recently head of electronic execution sales and trading for JP Morgan Asia, joined the French bank in mid-February as head of electronic sales and trading for Asia Pacific reporting to Stephane Loiseau, head of cash equities for Asia Pacific.

Consolini joins in a newly created role which forms part of Societe Generale’s broader push to build out its electronic execution platform for institutional clients in the region.

Consolini left JP Morgan in October following a reshuffle at the firm’s electronic trading business, as reported by Financial News. He did not respond to a LinkedIn request for comment.

Andrew Lee, most recently an executive at international agency brokerage BTIG in Hong Kong, joined Societe Generale’s Asia sales-trading desk this month to cover long-only and hedge funds for Asia equities. He reports to Ken Taheny, head of sales trading for Asia-Pacific at Societe Generale, according to an individual familiar with the hire.

Lee, who has also held roles at HSBC and interdealer broker GFI, according to the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission register, could not be reached for comment.

A spokeswoman for Societe Generale confirmed the hires.

Aviva Investors

Aviva Investors’ chief investment officer Shahid Ikram, below, has left the firm as part of the company’s recent business review.

He left in December, according to a person familiar with the situation. Ikram could not be reached for comment.

Jean-Francois Boulier has since taken the role of chief investment officer of fixed income in addition to his role as chief executive of Aviva Investors Europe, the person said. He will be tasked with the development of the global fixed-income team.

It remains unclear who has taken on responsibility for the equity side of Ikram’s remit.

Ikram held the role of CIO for just under two years. He was head of sovereign debt and absolute return at Aviva Investors between January 2007 and March 2012.

Canaccord

Peter Kiernan, the former Lazard rainmaker who joined Hawkpoint two years ago ahead of the takeover of its parent by Canaccord Genuity, has been handed a board role at the Canadian brokerage’s UK subsidiary, where he is chairman of European investment banking.

Kiernan joined a previously six-strong board at Canaccord Genuity Limited, the UK broking and advisory arm of the Canadian group, as a director on February 4, according to a filing at Companies House.

Kiernan is a former head of UK investment banking and managing director at Lazard who had been in line for the role of director general of the Takeover Panel before withdrawing his candidacy in the wake of Kraft Foods’ controversial takeover of Cadbury in 2010. He left Lazard in summer 2011 and re-emerged roughly six months later as a vice-chairman of corporate finance advisory firm Hawkpoint.

He joined Canaccord Genuity, which was called Canaccord Financial until last year, when the firm completed its takeover of Collins Stewart Hawkpoint, the broking parent of Hawkpoint.

Kiernan remains chairman of European investment banking.

• Investment Banking

Santander

Santander Corporate and Commercial has appointed Charles Garfit to the new role of head of manufacturing for the UK. Garfit previously held the role of head of Santander Asset Finance, and has more than 20 years’ experience in corporate and commercial lending, including at private equity house Gordon Brothers and at Go Industry.

Renaissance Capital

Renaissance Capital has appointed David George as managing director (head of London trading) starting in March. George has nearly 20 years’ experience in emerging markets and joins from Goldman Sachs where he was COO of the emerging markets equity business. George also spent 13 years at Merrill Lynch, where he headed the emerging market credit desk.

• Asset Management

Alliance Bernstein

Alliance Bernstein has hired Michelle Inskip, a 2010 Financial News Rising Star, as its new director of defined contribution client relations. Inskip worked at Schroders in the UK and Ireland consultant relationships team between 2011 and 2013, and was director of consultant relationship management at Insight Investment for seven years prior to that.

Invesco Real Estate

The global real estate investor has appointed Etienne Dupuy to lead asset management in Europe. Dupuy, who has 17 years' experience in real estate, will be based in the firm's Paris office. He joins from BNP Paribas real estate investment services where he was managing director.

Canada Life Investments

The UK-based asset manager has announced the appointment of Nigel Darlington as senior property manager within its London-based property finance team. Darlington joins from PwC where he was a senior adviser to in-house and external real estate teams. Before this, Darlington was regional head of the UK property risk management for National Australia Group Europe.

BNY Mellon

Newton Capital Management, a London-based global asset management subsidiary of BNY Mellon, has announced the appointment of Jim Wylie as head of North America. Wylie joins the firm from Turner Investment Partners where he was chief marketing officer and executive managing director. Before that, Wylie was global head of sales at Acadian Asset Management.

Nomura Asset Management

Nick Payne has been appointed to the position of Latin American portfolio manager at Nomura’s fund management business. Payne was previously head of Latin American equities and emerging market equity portfolios for Rexiter Capital Management. He has also managed Rexiter’s global emerging markets sharia strategy for Islamic investors.

Investec

Investec Asset Finance has announced that Andrew Woodward has been hired as head of materials handling. Woodward joins from Aldermore Bank where he set up a materials handling division.

Broadwalk Asset Management

The asset manager has announced that Shaun Taulbut has joined the firm as head of administration. Taulbut has more than 15 years’ experience, most recently with Australia & New Zealand Banking Group where he held several positions including director of corporate finance and head of finance for Europe. He has also worked at Standard Chartered.

Eaton Vance Management

The US fund house Eaton Vance Management has appointed Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s former equity CIO as its new chief equity investment officer. Edward Perkin will join Eaton Vance on April 29, reporting to Thomas Faust, chairman and chief executive officer. He replaces Duncan Richardson, who retired in October last year.

BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas Investment Partners have announced two additions to the marketing teams of its institutional business line. Kate Hudson joins as head of European institutional marketing, and Gaurav Tandon has joined as a digital specialist. Hudson has experience in asset management sales and marketing roles for firms including Prudential Group, AIG Investments and PineBridge Investments. Tandon joins from HSBC, where he was senior digital marketing manager. Both Hudson and Tandon will be based in London.

Towers Watson

Towers Watson has appointed Tim Richard as head of the firm’s HR service delivery and technology practice in Emea. Watson joins from the firm’s Dallas office where he was a managing consultant of the North American HR service delivery practice. Towers Watson said that Richard will focus on HR transformation work with global blue-chip companies.

Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management

The firm has hired Simon Mendelson to a new role as the firm’s head of product management and development for the Americas. The former global head of product development at BlackRock will be based in New York and is charged with building Deutsche’s brand in the region and developing new products.

• Hedge Funds and Wealth

State Street

State Street has recruited a new managing director to its European hedge fund relationship management team. Jamie Gleeson joins as managing director, head of Emea hedge fund relationship management, after more than six years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Gleeson will report to Michele Deely, senior vice-president of the European hedge fund relationship management team.

EFG International

Alvin Ma rejoins the Swiss wealth manager this week as head of emerging wealth, based in Hong Kong. Ma had left EFG International in 2010 to become general manager responsible for private banking at China CITIC Bank International. He has also worked for Credit Suisse, UBS and Standard Chartered Bank.

• Trading & Technology

Saxo Bank

Steen Blaafalk has been appointed new global head of finance and risk operations at Saxo Bank. Blaafalk joins after a 30-year career at Danske Bank, where he was most recently head of group treasury and a member of the bank’s executive committee. In his new position, Blaafalk will be responsible for all legal and compliance, finance, risk management and business intelligence at the bank and will also be a member of the management board.

• Private Equity

3i Group

UK-listed 3i Group has hired four new associates for its UK, Benelux and German teams after several years of cuts at the private equity firm. Sachin Jivanji has joined the UK team from Citigroup where he focused on the industrial and services sectors. In Frankfurt, Nicolas Urban, who previously focused on M&A at Deutsche Bank, and Severin Matten, who previously worked at UBS on M&A and capital markets transactions, have joined the firm. In Amsterdam, Bastiaan Peer has joined the team from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he focused on deals in the Benelux region.

CDC Group

CDC Group, the UK government’s development finance institution, has hired Ritu Kumar as environmental and social responsibility director to help the firm’s efforts in environmental and social governance. Kumar was formerly director and senior adviser for responsible investment at emerging markets private equity firm Actis. She has also managed energy and environmental programmes at the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation.

• Legal, Regulatory & Compliance

Latham & Watkins

The US law firm Latham & Watkins has continued its push into the London market through the hire of Kem Ihenacho, a lawyer at UK firm Clifford Chance, as a partner in its corporate department. Ihenacho had worked on a range of UK and international deals, with a particular focus on Africa, including CVC Capital Partners’ acquisition of Skrill Group and Domestic & General, as well as Carlyle Group’s acquisition of a minority stake in Export Trading Group, a Tanzania-based agricultural commodities company.

Morrison & Foerster

Phil Slater joins Morrison & Foerster as a partner in the financial transactions group, working out of the firm’s London office. He joins from Reed Smith, where he headed the firm’s acquisition and leveraged finance practice. Slater recently advised the Co-op group on all aspects of its £950 million debt refinancing, including the associated repositioning of its interest rate swaps and capital markets debt. Also joining the firm is US bankruptcy judge James Peck, who leaves the bench. Peck presided over the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, the largest-ever US bankruptcy filing.

Old Mutual

Old Mutual Global Investors has promoted Jessica Brescia, the head of its legal team, to the newly created position of chief risk officer. Brescia, a financial regulation specialist, previously worked at law firms SJ Berwin and Dechert, where she advised on the establishment, listing, management and marketing of investment funds as well as general regulatory issues.

Baker & McKenzie

Chris Hughes is to lead a new Baker & McKenzie office in Yangon, Myanmar. The office will be the firm’s 16th in Asia Pacific and follows openings in South Korea, Dubai, Peru, Morocco and South Africa in the past two years. Hughes will be managing partner of the Myanmar office and moves from the firm’s Sydney office.